The Scenery and Future Seen by Coolmate.
■ Coolmate, a Vietnamese men's apparel brand.
・Recent news: "Vietnamese men's apparel brand and e-commerce site 'Coolmate' completes Series C funding from overseas funds."
・Coolmate is "a D2C (Direct to Consumer: a business model where producers sell directly to consumers without intermediaries) men's apparel brand founded in Hanoi in 2018 that handles everything from manufacturing to sales within Vietnam." The company "develops e-commerce (EC) specializing in men's clothing and handles everything from production to sales in-house; Coolmate has completed its Series C funding round. The amount raised has not been disclosed."
・This funding round was "led by Singapore's Temasek and the Vertex Growth Fund, supported by the Ministry of Finance, with continued participation from existing investors Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India, headquartered in Singapore, and Malaysian venture capital firm Kayla Capital." Additionally, "new investors include the Cool Japan Fund (Minato-ku, Tokyo) and Youngone CVC, a subsidiary of a major South Korean textile group."
■ Three strategic areas for accelerating future growth.
・The raised funds "will be allocated to three strategic areas to accelerate future growth. The company is aiming to expand into the women's market and launched women's sportswear in March 2025. It aims to have women account for 40% of its sales by 2030." Furthermore, "it plans to expand its physical store presence, with the first directly managed store scheduled to open at the end of 2025. By 2030, it aims to increase the sales composition ratio of physical stores to 40%."
・Furthermore, "it will strengthen its expansion into overseas markets. It has already achieved results in the United States, such as its sports socks becoming a bestseller on Amazon, and it plans to fully launch in the Southeast Asian market, aiming to increase the ratio of overseas sales to 50% by 2030."
・The company "has previously raised approximately 310 million yen in a Series A round in May 2022 and approximately 920 million yen in a Series B round in November 2024." The article concludes by stating that in a difficult fundraising environment, "the fact that the company continues to receive investment from overseas funds demonstrates the high level of trust in the brand."
■ Environmental consideration, using sustainable materials.
・As an aside, I actually own one piece of Coolmate sportswear. It was a gift from my colleagues at work for my birthday. It is thin, has a cool-to-the-touch function and material, and I find it comfortable to wear even in the heat of Vietnam, so I appreciate its usability.
・However, if asked whether I like the design or am fond of it, to be honest, while it is fine for sports or loungewear, it looks like a mass-produced product, and there is no joy in wearing it or excitement when putting my arms through the sleeves. It is not a piece I would choose to wear when going out in my private life.
・However, Coolmate has established a three-pillar strategy for 2030: entering the women's market, expanding physical stores, and increasing the ratio of overseas sales. Since they are greatly expanding the potential of a brand originating from Vietnam, I suspect that products and designs that dispel my aforementioned feelings will be born in the future.
・The day will come when Coolmate becomes 'everyday wear' not just in Vietnam, but for people around the world. In the near future, people wearing Coolmate might be walking down the streets in Japan as if it were nothing. Such a future may not be so far away—if we were to translate the brand name loosely, would it be 'Cool Guys'? High-fiving with friends who are dressed coolly without being stiff, that kind of Coolmate scenery might be seen someday.